The Furnace

The Furnace is a book about a homicide investigator named Lieutenant Kyle Tanner. He is one of the best at what he does and can make difficult captures that others couldn’t. SOLEX One is where his next case will be. SOLEX is a power-generating station that is dangerously close to the sun. Someone on the station is a murderer who cuts the head and hands off of his victims and it’s up to Lieutenant Tanner to find out who. To Tanner’s surprise he learns that this case is different than any other case he has ever had. This case seems to have no motive, no connection between the people dead. This case turns out to be bigger than Tanner ever imagined and if he doesn’t solve it, the whole human race could be in danger. The Furnace is an intense locked-room murder mystery that is definitely a page turner. The story is very well written and keeps a reader on their toes and wondering who the possible killer could be. There is never a dull moment where the story drags on, the story is always moving forward and surprising a reader. A reader will be taken into the future and feel like they are right there along side Lieutenant Tanner trying to figure out the mystery. All of the characters are well-developed and the story is written well with many turns of events that keep a reader constantly worried for Lieutenant Tanner’s life. Timothy S. Johnston definitely keeps a reader’s attention with this mystery/thriller plus it has a little romance on the side. I would highly recommend this book to anyone into upbeat mystery/thriller stories. This book is a great read and is definitely not one to be missed. I will be looking forward to more great stories from Timothy S. Johnston. Highly Recommended by Reviewer: Chaselyn Kenney, Allbooks Review.

Great book

Very good hard scifi. A few very good plot twists and none of the errors you see from first time writers.

I enjoyed this book a lot. I figured out what was going on fairly quickly, but the story kept me riveted. I finished the ~340 page book in a day. The author has a good grasp on both the scifi and mystery genres.

In 2401 AD, Confederate Combined Forces Security Division, Homicide Section Lieutenant Kyle Tanner investigates crimes at the most isolated locales in the solar system. His success rate is much greater than his colleagues because he cares about the family members of the butchered victims. Thus he obstinately stalks deadly predators with a determination fueled by his need to tell the loved ones he executed the monster. Other investigators do not give a damn about the victim or those grieving the loss. In a dive on Mercury, Tanner captures Quint Sirius who killed his only friend. After he breaks his prisoner's kneecap, he takes him to CCF Headquarters. CCF Lieutenant Commander Bryce Manning informs Tanner that earth wants him to go to SOLEX One, an energy gathering station closer to the sun than Mercury. SOLEX One Command Group Chief Jace Lassiter explains there are six officers, four scientists and five crewmen until someone murdered and mutilated crewman James Chin. His assignment is to find the killer. The station Captain Fredericks greets him with disdain while the Systems Officer Shaheen Ramachandra welcomes him. However, Tanner finds no motives for the death, mutilation or the related fire as the cause is much more insidious to both ends of the pipe line. This is a great science fiction locked station mystery as Tanner is only the second visitor to SOLEX One. The key to the exciting thriller is the futuristic world of Timothy S. Johnston feels real whether it is the tunnels of Mercury or an isolated energy gathering station. Tanner is terrific as a caring yet kick butt protagonist. With a delightful late twist, readers will appreciate this early twenty-fifth century whodunit and why. Harriet Klausner